Slide, Nellie, Slide: A chaotic softball romp

Is it worth the watch?

Look, if you have twenty minutes to kill and a strange fondness for 1930s gags involving hot dogs and mustard, sure. It’s light, it’s fluffy, and it doesn't try to be The Big Parade or anything heavy like that. If you need a tight story or characters who actually act like real human beings, you’re going to be bored to tears within the first two minutes.

Herman Bing plays the Hot Dog King with the kind of frantic energy that makes you wonder if he had too much coffee before the cameras rolled. He’s betting his money against Al Shean, who is basically just there to be the grumpy Mustard guy. It’s all very cartoonish.

Marie Wilson is the whole reason this thing exists. She brings this wide-eyed, slightly confused charm that makes the whole softball premise feel a bit less dry. There’s a moment where she’s trying to handle a bat that feels like it weighs more than she does, and it’s honestly the highlight of the whole short. ⚾

The softball game itself is... well, it’s not exactly going to be breaking any professional records. You can tell they were just having fun on the field, and half the time the extras look like they’re trying not to laugh at how silly the blocking is. It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in The 'Hyp-Nut-Tist', where the logic is just tossed out the window for a quick chuckle.

Oddly specific observations:

• The uniforms look incredibly uncomfortable for running in.
• There’s a sound effect near the middle that repeats way too often—it sounds like a slide whistle having a bad day.
• I swear one of the outfielders is looking directly at the camera crew during a pitch.
• The mustard versus hot dog rivalry is such a weirdly low-stakes tension, but it works for what it is.

Don't expect anything profound here. It’s just a bit of fluff from a different era. Sometimes, you don't need a masterpiece, you just need a girl named Nellie trying to hit a softball while a man yells about condiments. It’s weirdly endearing if you don't think about it too hard.

Anyway, I think I need a hot dog now. Don't ask me why. 🌭